Many major TV makers are preparing to introduce eye-popping high-definition sets that let you view video in three dimensions, assuming you’re wearing the requisite 3-D glasses.
A few content providers are also on board. ESPN announced that it will start broadcasting in 3-D beginning with the World Cup soccer matches in June. Satellite provider DirecTV announced that it, too, will begin broadcasting in 3-D in June. Although you may have to replace your TV to watch the programs, DirecTV will offer a software update to enable 3-D on its existing high-definition set-top boxes.
And now that Hollywood is producing 3-D content for the big screen, those movies will eventually be available on Blu-ray in 3-D. To watch those shows you may need a new Blu-ray player, though people who watch Blu-ray via a Sony PlayStation 3 are in luck. It will be compatible via a software upgrade.
I wish there were a free software upgrade to enable 3-D on the 55-inch high-definition TV I bought two years ago for about $1,800. I realize that $1,800 might not seem like a lot of money to the well-heeled TV-maker executives, but for average consumers it’s a lot of money. Other than the furnace, it’s the most expensive appliance in my home, costing far more than my washer, dryer, dishwasher or refrigerator.
As of November, 34 percent of American households (40 million) already had an HD TV, and that was before the Christmas and Super Bowl buying spree. I
wouldn’t be surprised if that number were now closer to 50 percent. I doubt whether many of those recent HD buyers are going to want to shell out for a 3-D set any time soon.
The good news about 3-D TV is that the sets won’t be much more expensive than similar two-dimensional HD TVs. It’s my understanding that they will have to display at a minimum of 120Hz refresh rate (that’s the number of frames that are refreshed per second) but most current-model mid- to high-end sets already achieve that. The extra hardware costs to display 3-D are relatively low, so we shouldn’t see a huge premium for these sets.
In the early days of HD TV, sets were very expensive — $6,000 and up — but that was because there was a yield problem that limited the number of LCD panels that could be used. There is no such limit when it comes to 3-D.
Still, for those who already have an HD TV, it means buying another one at a likely cost of $1,800 and up for a relatively big-screen model.
Another issue is 3-D glasses. Unlike those old green-and-red ones used in theatres many years ago, the glasses required for viewing 3-D TV are sophisticated and are expected to cost $30 to $60 each for normal ones and a lot more for designer or prescription glasses.
I’m sure sets will come with one or two pairs. But in my family, four or more people sometimes gather in front of the TV. In fact, the early adopters are likely to want to show off their TVs to all their friends, meaning they’ll need plenty of pairs of glasses.
My biggest problem will be finding my glasses. It will be one more thing to add to that gaggle of remote controls in my living room.
Don’t get me wrong — I love 3-D. I enjoy watching 3-D movies at the theater and got a kick out of the demos I’ve seen. I’m sure I’d watch an occasional movie or sporting event in 3-D if I had a set at home, but I’m not so sure I’d make it a regular habit. Of course, we won’t have to worry about forming such a habit until there is plenty of 3-D content to watch. That may take awhile.
For filmmakers and broadcasters, the primary way to create 3-D content is to use special cameras with two lenses aimed just a small distance apart from each other to create that stereoscopic effect. Professional 3-D cameras are still very expensive, but consumer-level models are much more affordable.
Fuji’s FinePix REAL 3-D W1 costs about $600 and not only takes 3-D stills and video but displays 3-D on its built-in LCD screen without the use of glasses. Yes, the technology does exist for glasses-free 3-D, but it works best with very small personal screens that can be repositioned for each viewer. There is also technology to convert regular 2-D programming to 3-D.
Eventually, 3-D will be just part of the landscape, but that won’t happen until millions of people have 3-D compatible sets. I don’t expect those to be jumping off the shelves. But if they do, I’m sure jumping TV sets will look really cool in 3-D.
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